I have no access to enough heat to get them red to aid the process , they are from a 50's style Raleigh lugged frame.

My bench/vice is to flexible to bend both legs at once , although it may manage them one at a time ?

I am thinking of building a wooden base I can back the car onto where the forks are bolted through at their wheel drop outs with the stem pointing away from the car with enough room to get some circular packing underneath them and then put a long tube over the stem and lever it a bit ?

problem will be finding the packing that will introduce a gradual curve without collapsing ? I have a few fire extinguishers or various diameters ?

or maybe a plywood plate with a curved former on it and bolt the leg to it ? but how do I stop it moving when applying the pressure ?

I do have a hydraulic bender but suspect the forks are to short to go in it ?

regards Paul

Hey Paul... with a little measurements, take a 1" pipe bender and push it up to rest against the fork lug... step on the fork lug to secure and with fork facing up, and bend back a LITTLE at a time.. both sides.. then check work.. dont do anything drastic all at once..... then lay it upside down on FLAT table and see if it lays strait... Id rest the fork lug flat on table and see if lugs both tough table.. then make sure its centered...

The 3/4" conduit bender is in the vice. A length of 1 1/8" bike tubing (the yellow bit in the picture) slips down over the fork stem for leverage. Push DOWN, put your body into it. Then align carefully, using the table edge and the layout suggested in the third drawing on this page (Sheet 13A2) for a scheme to judge alignment.

I could probably ride it as is [ my chopper has 8" of trail ] however I was hoping for a very easy to ride bike [ i.e no wheel flop ] to try and encourage my wife to try the dark side of cycling

ADC

Yes I have seen your guidance for using one of those benders , however in the UK they are rarer than hens teeth and cost new over $85 dollars for each size !

The most easily available UK one is free standing with a arm and roller , I sold an ebay item Friday and the person who came to collect it has the UK one and will lend it to me so here's hoping it will do the job.

Sold:-
FAW Alleweder [ be warned my shoulders were to wide for it ! ]
Speed Ross [to hard a ride for my old bones ! ]
1928 BSA ladies loop frame - single gear to hilly
EZ Clone - did not like ride
Hase Kettwiesel - very early model to many problems

No brakes , no gears , pillow on seat and handle bars barely long enough.

It does have an odd feel to the steering ie not something you would give to a novice , I reckon there is about 1.25" of trail.

As predicted chain hits frame when in front low rear high gears , thinks I either some sort of idler [ & chain keeper ] in the empty BB or maybe bolt a left hand cup to the right hand cup that is already in there and screw on a free wheel.

If I took the second option I think I need to remove the pawls first ? however then I could have 2 derailluers and use it instead on a front mech where currently there is no tube to mount it.

With a 5 speed I could use largest chain ring going to rear and then highest 3 gears for front chain leaving 4th as a spacer to stop the chains meeting in a horrible way

Sold:-
FAW Alleweder [ be warned my shoulders were to wide for it ! ]
Speed Ross [to hard a ride for my old bones ! ]
1928 BSA ladies loop frame - single gear to hilly
EZ Clone - did not like ride
Hase Kettwiesel - very early model to many problems

Sold:-
FAW Alleweder [ be warned my shoulders were to wide for it ! ]
Speed Ross [to hard a ride for my old bones ! ]
1928 BSA ladies loop frame - single gear to hilly
EZ Clone - did not like ride
Hase Kettwiesel - very early model to many problems

I didn't have a bench vice large enough to hold the bender, so here is what I did.
I took a 2' piece of 2x4 and nailed a 4" piece of 2x4 to each end under the 2' piece.
I then pulled the rear wheel of my car up on the 2' piece to hold it in place. I put the fork under the 2' piece and used a bottle jack just above the crown and bent both sides of the fork up at one time. They came out even, yeah!
I just remembered something else, the forks were crushing the pine 2' piece so I found a piece of 3/4" hardwood and put between the forks and pine.
I would bend it a little, release the jack and move the fork in a bit and bend again, and again, and again. This spread the bend over several inches and did not crimp.

Sold:-
FAW Alleweder [ be warned my shoulders were to wide for it ! ]
Speed Ross [to hard a ride for my old bones ! ]
1928 BSA ladies loop frame - single gear to hilly
EZ Clone - did not like ride
Hase Kettwiesel - very early model to many problems